When you mention the name "Shen Hsun-tsung" in Puli, a picturesque town in central Taiwan, most people there will tell you how he enthusiastically helped others even though his own houses had also been destroyed by the devastating earthquake that hit Taiwan in 1999. He says, "There is no end to helping the needy."

After the earthquake of September 21, 1999, devastated central Taiwan and made many people homeless, I had the chance to learn more about Shen Hsun-tsung. Puli was one of the regions worst hit by the disaster. To provide survivors with shelter, Tzu Chi began building temporary prefabricated houses immediately after the earthquake. I was there to report on the construction process. During my stay, Shen caught my attention. Every day he shuttled around the construction sites, investigating disaster areas, helping victims and handing out relief supplies. Seldom did I see him take a rest. "Both of his houses collapsed, but he's so busy helping others that he hasn't checked on his own houses yet," a volunteer told me. "The Shens have been sleeping in a car for over ten days without taking a bath..."

When the Tzu Chi Foundation announced its plan to reconstruct schools that had been damaged in the earthquake, Shen donated NT$1 million [over US$30,000], NT$400,000 of which was from his government housing subsidy. "To rebuild over fifty schools, Tzu Chi needs all the donations it can get. If we all give whatever we can, the students will soon have new schools and won't need to squeeze into hot tents to study."

Over one year has passed since the earthquake, and Shen and his family are living in the family factory. Four aluminum sheets comprise a small makeshift bedroom; the kitchen, in a corner of the factory, is composed of a table and a small propane stove. Although the living conditions are worse than in the prefabricated houses, Shen is happy with what he has. "After all, we still have this factory and a place to sleep at night." I asked him if he felt upset over the collapse of his houses. He said with a smile that it was useless to get upset over the destruction caused by a natural disaster. Besides, he was not the only one whose house was left in ruins. "I don't want to create any headaches for myself!" He touched his pocket and continued, "I used to carry a lot of keys, but now I only need one. It certainly makes life easier."

Looking for ways to help

Ever since the earthquake, Shen has concentrated on helping survivors as his sole duty. He did not return to work in his own factory until half a year later. Even today, he still drives his jeep to the disaster areas to search for those who have not been taken care of by the government or charity organizations.

"Most people feel the fewer things that bother them the better, but Shen is the opposite--he looks for things to do," commented commissioner Pan Jen-he of the Niuwei Village Reconstruction Committee. Niuwei Village, Puli, is famous for its floriculture. Many horticulturists lost their homes and greenhouses in the tremor. To continue making a living, they built makeshift greenhouses, which also served as their residences, with racks and black nets. In the summertime the greenhouses are like ovens. The average temperature inside can be as high as forty degrees Celsius [104 F].

In August 2000, Typhoon Bilis swept through central Taiwan, blowing away the roofs of the makeshift greenhouse/residences of over thirty families and flooding their furniture. When Shen heard the news from commissioner Pan that night, he could not sleep. At the crack of dawn, he rushed with other volunteers to help those families. The conditions he witnessed left him sleepless for many nights.

He decided to go to Tzu Chi for help. A few days after Typhoon Bilis, he drove halfway around the island to report the situation to Master Cheng Yen and apply for financial subsidies, which the Master kindly granted. To ensure that every penny was used on the repairs, Shen personally contracted the construction work with a reliable company and frequently checked on the progress. He installed his self-designed "roof ventilators" on the thirty greenhouses for free, solving the problem of the unbearable heat inside them. His efforts paid off, and the repairs were completed in less than a month.

One day Shen came across nine cargo containers in the middle of a farm field. Typhoon survivors had turned them into temporary homes. He immediately got out of his jeep to talk with the residents. "It's so hot inside that I'm worried that I might die of suffocation... We have no toilet, no bathroom. It's very inconvenient." A group of low-income women and their poor children related their agonies to Shen. Some said mosquitoes, bugs and even snakes often found their way into the containers.

Seeing their dire situation, Shen promptly asked for a repair subsidy from Tzu Chi. Not only did Shen modify the containers with his roof ventilators and heatproof steel roofs, he also installed makeshift toilets and bathrooms for these poor people. This March, I visited them again with Shen. On that scorching day, the containers were surprisingly cool despite the lack of air conditioners. A young mother who had just given birth said with a Vietnamese accent, "If Tzu Chi hadn't helped us, I probably couldn't have stayed."

A local relief association

The more places Shen drove to, the more problems he discovered.

Shen found a homeless old man who lived alone. After obtaining a reconstruction subsidy of NT$200,000 from the government for his dilapidated house, he hired a couple of construction workers to build a new house with corrugated steel sheets. The workers came, took the money, erected a few iron poles and disappeared without a trace. The old gentleman could do nothing but stare at the poles all day long.

Shen wanted to build the man a home. However he did not want to increase Tzu Chi's already heavy financial burden. He thought of collecting the resources locally. He told his friends that kindhearted people living outside Puli had extended their helping hands, so how could local residents turn their backs on their own neighbours? They agreed to set up a self-sufficient relief association. The association was set up in March 2000 with the aim of building huts of corrugated iron sheets for the needy. They are a definite improvement on plastic tents. Once the association had solicited sufficient funds, by word of mouth, it would immediately build a hut. "Every penny goes to the earthquake victims," Shen insisted.

One year after its establishment, the association has helped six households. Shen doesn't just wait for people to report cases. He drives around looking for those who need help. That is why his car is always covered in mud.

Shen's car has taken him to many remote places since he was put in charge of visiting Tzu Chi care recipients in Puli seven years ago. Many of the care recipients are aborigines who live in the mountains. Often, to get from one village to the next, Shen has to travel for hours on bumpy gravel roads. In just half a year, the mileage on his newly purchased jeep has run over 40,000 kilometers [25,000 mi].

Heavy rains often cause mudslides in the mountains. Whenever typhoons strike, Shen thinks of the aborigines living in the mountains and worries about their safety. In 1994, when Typhoon Doug swept through Taiwan, the road connecting aboriginal Jenai Village was washed away and communications were disrupted. The residents were trapped. The village head called Shen and said they were running out of food. Shen immediately called a meeting and decided that Tzu Chi volunteers would deliver rice to the villagers first thing the next morning. The trip would be extremely dangerous. Fortunately Shen, who had often visited the aborigines, knew the area well and under his guidance the relief team arrived safely.

A steamed bun

"Shen is more enthusiastic about helping others than handling his own business," his old friend Chin remarked. Shen's strong sense of sympathy originates from the tough time he went through as a kid.

Shen was born into an impoverished family. When he was little, his family barely had enough food to eat. Every day Shen took a lunch box to school like everyone else, but it was empty. To keep the embarrassing secret safe, little Shen would hide in a field and nap with an empty stomach during lunchtime. One day a classmate discovered his secret. Instead of laughing at Shen, he gave him a steamed bun. "To me that bun was priceless--the memory still warms my heart," Shen said.

But not everyone was loving and sweet to them. On New Year's Eve, their landlord kicked the Shens out because they had not paid the rent. Fortunately, one of their neighbors helped them by turning his chicken coop into a shelter. The Shens could not pay him any rent, but the kind neighbor let them stay for free. His goodwill saved them from a life on the street. Little Shen hoped that when he grew up he would be able to help others as much as he could. He certainly carried out this commitment.

Being the eldest child, Shen needed to share the financial burden of the family. After graduating from elementary school, he worked as an apprentice in an iron mold company. When the company moved to Taipei, so did Shen. There he met his wife, Ku Chun-lan. They got married and opened their own iron mold company. The two worked hard, and by the time he turned fifty Shen was the owner of five factories. The poor boy became rich and famous in his line of work. Every day he had parties and social events to go to. "From the moment I woke up until I went to bed, I drank. I drank seven days a week and still felt dissatisfied." He found his life meaningless, so he closed down the company and returned to Puli to grow tea.

In 1990, the daughter-in-law of that kindhearted neighbor who had helped the Shens before introduced Shen to Tzu Chi. Although Shen knew little about this charitable foundation, he began donating regularly to repay the neighbor's kindness. He only intended to be a donor, but as he learned more about the foundation's charity work, he found out that his aspiration to help the needy could be realised here. He and his wife started participating in Tzu Chi activities.

They are a good team--Shen goes out to visit care recipients while Mrs Shen stays home to organise the recipients' files. When Shen is out on Tzu Chi activities, Mrs Shen takes care of the company and the family. "Husband and wife should help each other," Mrs Shen said gently. "I know he likes to lend a hand to the needy, which I think is good. Besides, the more I support him, the more good deeds he can do." Shen is always grateful for his wife's understanding, which enables him to do something for society without worrying too much about his own family.

A creative mind

Shen is also a creative inventor. After he returned to Puli for good, he grew tea and also tried his hand at designing. He invented an all-in-one teacup that makes tea drinking easy for busy people. The invention was well received and won many awards in Japan and the USA. Shen also designed environmentally friendly tableware to help Tzu Chi promote environmental protection to the public. Coming up with a simple bowl is more complicated than most people think. It took Shen a year to decide on the shape of the bowl. "Simple products are the accumulation of numerous experiments and failures. I had a hard time deciding on the length and size of chopsticks that would suit most people. But all the hard work will pay off if everyone stops using disposable chopsticks. Many trees can then be saved."

Shen is a perfectionist. Aiming to come up with a better design, he might work on a drawing all night, unaware of the time. "He's a hardworking man," his wife remarked. "We used to work at the same iron mold company years ago. He was the only designer who could pass our boss' strict requirements."

After so many charitable activities, Shen's personality has improved. I was told that he used to be short-tempered and quarrelsome. But he looked so sweet to me now. Our amiable mindset is in fact the best way to make ourselves appealing!

Before I ended my interview with him I asked Shen how long he planned to build shelters for the homeless. He answered with his favourite phrase, "There is no end to helping the needy."